OSHA officials are reviewing an electrician’s death earlier this week at a Kansas City, Missouri, North office building construction site.
The Kansas City Star reported that a person working in a fourth-floor office suite at the Briarcliff Hilltop Office Building told police he heard a crash at about 7:15 a.m. Tuesday and heard someone cry out “I need help.” The worker found Johnathan Melton, an employee of H&S Electrical, on the hallway floor bleeding from the head and not breathing.
A police officer reported he later followed an open door leading into a small room with opened ceiling panels and exposed wiring. There was a step ladder below a wire hanging from the ceiling and touching the floor, the Star reported.
The wire’s strands were separated and exposed at the ends with no insulation. Melton’s supervisor determined the wire was active. One witness told police he believed Melton may have been electrocuted, as he had a burn mark or blister on his right palm. An electrical current sensing device was found beside Melton on the floor.
OSHA is reviewing policies, procedures and training records.
